What is a Pouch For?
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: Raz; the Procoptodon jill who carries weapons in her pouch and lives on a pirate ship. But why? Why did she leave the Outback of Australia, her natural home? Why does she keep deadly weapons in a natural nursery? It's not something she likes to talk about...


What is a Pouch for?

_Raz was grazing peacefully, leaving the other jills to themselves. Hopefully they would do the same. She had tried numerous times as a child to make friends, but it seemed impossible for someone like her. She was the monster of the mob, although one wouldn't think such a thing from merely looking at her. No, the problem was internal, yet it had external consequences. She had been born with a rare defect; completely barren. She was never in season, and therefore no jacks ever took an interest in her._

_ She was well into adulthood, and should have had at least two or three joeys by now, as a female kangaroo's life was commonly described as 'permanently pregnant'. But sadly Raz had been born unable to have joeys, and therefore was labeled as an outcast. The other jills saw her as a waste of her mother's time and effort, as she would never bear any young of her own. It hurt Raz beyond compare, to know she was hated so heatedly. Only one person besides her mother had ever truly loved her, but he was gone now. And she was left all alone to deal with the bullying, the pain, the loneliness._

_ So she did her best to simply avoid the other jills, hoping they would just forget about her. But today it was not to be. "Oi sheilas, look what we have here." Raz refused to turn around, refused to lash out at them._

_ "If it ain't tha' little outcast. Such a waste, ya' know."_

_ "If she wasn't so messed up she might actually have a life."_

_ "Too true. She's just a waste of all she is."_

_ "Trash!"_

_ "Barren!"_

_ "Monstah'!"_

_ "Waste!"_

_ "Barren!"_

_ "Trash!"_

_ "Barren!"_

* * *

Raz awoke with a loud gasp, sitting up and looking around the deck, panting. The sky was dark, the stars twinkling softly, as if trying to calm her, the round moon glowing palely. She began to settle, spotting her crewmates nearby in their sleeping positions. Raz heaved a shuddering sigh and stood, hopping over to the edge of the deck. She sat on the ice, allowing her back feet to hang over the water. The kangaroo wrapped her arms around herself, her shoulders beginning to quiver. Raz cried softly, the memories haunting her even now. "Raz?"

She flinched and turned to see Shira sitting beside her, giving the kangaroo a worried stare. She sniffled and wiped her eyes dry, but the tears still seeped out. The saber gently placed her paw on Raz's shoulder, whispering quietly, "Shhh, it's alright." Raz grimaced.

"No sheila, no it's not." she barely managed to utter over the lump in her throat.

"What do you mean?" Raz pressed her lips firmly together for a moment.

"Sheila, do ya' know why I joined Gutt's crew?"

"You didn't like being in a mob. For the same reason I didn't like being in a pack."

"That's part of it." Raz was silent for a moment. "I was...I-I was..._born_...with a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Raz cringed further and bent over slightly, tears still dribbling down her face.

"Sheila..." she whispered. "I'm barren." Shira was silent for a while.

"Y-you..._barren_?" she asked confusedly. "I...I would never have thought that, even as long as I've known you." Raz looked over at her in surprise.

"Ya' really mean that?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I do, Raz." The saber smiled at her softly. "If you ever need to talk you know I'm the only other girl on this ship." Raz smiled softly.

"Thanks sheila." Shira nodded and gave a smile, before walking back to her sleeping spot. Raz smiled softly at her for a moment, before her face fell once more and she sighed, turning back to the water. She gently slipped her hand in her pouch, her fingers stroking the skin inside. She could feel the scabs and dried scars, the once soft and tender flesh now hard and spider-webbed with injuries. She had always been told that a pouch was for carrying joeys; that it served as their home and comfort zone for almost a whole year. The joeys were born undeveloped, and so needed the safe environment that the pouch supplied for survival.

But for Raz, then, her pouch had no purpose. She could never have a joey, therefor no tiny being would ever inhabit the pouch. It was practically useless under normal circumstances. So of course, Raz had to live under no normal circumstances. As a pirate her pouch was one of the most important elements on the ship; it carried the crew's entire weaponry, enabling them with the advantage over their enemies. Of course, there was just a bit of a price to pay. The pouch was sensitive, and easily injured.

Raz had endured much pain, bloodshed even, to get her pouch to its current state. Battered yet strong, like herself, it was now impervious to any weapon, no matter how sharp. It had no weaknesses. She, on the other hand, always had the issue of heart to eat her up inside. She had never wished to ever truly harm someone, but she would defend herself with every strength she had. She had always wanted to make herself stronger after all she had experienced in her mob, even if it meant seeming violent and ruthless. Nowadays though, it weighed heavily on her mind.

She wondered if there was a possible way for her to change, to leave the pirate ship and find another place where she was accepted. She sighed again and turned away from the water, returning to her sleeping position.

* * *

Raz was sinking. The water was deep, and her limp body was heavy. The weapons in her pouch weighed her down, and her open mouth was unable to close itself, the water flowing into her lungs at an alarming rate. Her golden eyes widened for a moment, before closing slowly. Her flailing and struggling slowed as she sunk deeper and deeper into the depths, no longer able to see her crewmates anywhere nearby. She was dying, and she knew it. There was nothing she could do; none of her crew would come to help her, moreover they probably wouldn't notice that she was gone.

If they survived. "_I'm sorry._" she thought. "_I'm sorry I hurt all those people, sorry I abused so many lives, sorry I could never be worthy of mah' mob. I'm sorry I didn't change soon enough. And I just wish...I just wish I could see him one more time._" She was hardly conscious now; it seemed as though she was no where, she couldn't sense the water around her, or even see the sun above the tide. Her eyes were still open, but everything was simply dark blue, wherever she was.

Things went black as her eyelids closed for the last time. She was all alone. The barren monster of the mob, dying just as she was supposed to. And yet, in the next instant, she was surrounded by light. And she was standing on something very, very soft. She blinked her now open eyes and looked around, curious and happily surprised. She had heard many descriptions of heaven, but none seemed to quite fit this place.

Everything was white, and yet at the same time a warming, golden glow emanated from all around. "H-hello?" she called tentatively. When no one answered, she suddenly realized there was something different about her pouch. Sticking one hand inside, she found its walls completely smooth, all its former injuries healed completely. Pulling her hand back out, she placed it on her chest in surprise, a wide grin breaking out on her face. "I can't believe it, it's, it's healed! I could-"

"Good ta' see ya' again, Raz." The jill stiffened and gave a gasp, before whipping around to see him standing there, a soft, loving look in his eyes and a kind smile on his lips. Her eyes widened, and she took a hop closer to the light blue Procoptodon jack.

"Guyver?" she asked. His brown eyes sparkled with delight and he closed the gap between them, taking her hands in his.

"Glad ya' still remember me." Raz smiled and lurched forward to embrace him.

"Guyver I missed ya'!"

"I know. And I knew ya' would come." Guyver replied, stroking her ears gently. Raz smiled and lay her head on his shoulder, a wonderful yet unfamiliar feeling bubbling up in her chest.

"Guyver, ya' still...ya' still love me, don't ya'?" The jack placed a hand on her pouch with a chuckle.

"Of course, Raz." he whispered. "Why else would I have given ya' this?" The jill, confused, stood properly and placed her own hand on her pouch. It was in that moment she became aware of a presence in her pouch, something very tiny...sucking on her. Her other hand joined the one on the pouch, her jaw dropping slightly. She looked up at Guyver in shock. He merely smiled back at her.

"Guyver...did I...h-have I...w-we..." The jack gently cupped his hands around her face.

"Tha' baby is ours, Raz." he whispered, gently touching his nose to hers. "I knew ya' always wanted ta' be a mum. And I knew you'd do a good job at it." Raz smiled, so happy she could have cried. Instead she lurched towards Guyver once more, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. Guyver kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her sides. Raz knew what her pouch was for now.

It was special, saved for the time when she would leave her barren body behind. She would stay with Guyver, forever, in this perfect world. And at last, she had her own joey. No doubt plenty would follow it. As she pulled away from the kiss, she realized the scenery around them had changed into her old home in Australia. The sun was warm, the land was fertile as it could be, and there was a large waterhole. She smiled wider and placed a hand over her nursing joey once more, laying her head on Guyver's chest.

****Forever, starting right, about, now.

* * *

**Yay! I got another one-shot up! I've had this stored for like, EVER and finally posted it! So yeah, this was just a random 'what-if' that hit me like 'BANG!' so I had to write it. Plz leave a review and tell me what you think! :D**


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